Memphis Grizzlies countdown begins, are they ready?
By Chip Crain
Training camp is use two weeks away and the regular season is less than a month. How are the Memphis Grizzlies prepared for the start of the season?
The opening night of the Memphis Grizzlies season is less than one month away. Training camp is less than a week away.
It’s early. Earlier than fans of the Memphis Grizzlies have ever experienced.
Why is it so much earlier you ask? This is going to conflict with football season, you say. Most Memphis Grizzlies fans are passionate about basketball, but they’re also passionate Tiger football fans, Titan fans, any number of SEC college football fans and high school football.
The new schedule will overlap significantly with the football season. The league feels this minor drawback should be offset by a higher quality of play on the court. The new NBA schedule has fewer back-to-back games, fewer three-games-in-four-nights stretches and no more four-games-in-five-nights. All this should improve the experience for NBA fans.
The league is hoping to stop the disturbing trend of NBA Stars sitting out games. Last season Cleveland rested LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving for the team’s only appearance in Memphis. Many fans paid top dollar for those tickets hoping to see them and were disappointed.
The NBA is trying to figure out a way to eliminate these situations in the future. Only time will tell if the earlier season can still draw in the fans.
Are the Memphis Grizzlies Ready?
So where do the new look Memphis Grizzlies stand in preparation for the new season?
That’s a big question. The last few seasons people knew that Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Tony Allen would be important players. This season, the list has been cut in half. Without the Grindfather and Z-Bo, the Memphis Grizzlies are a team looking for their third wheel.
Mike Conley looks to be in great shape from his promotional pictures with the Memphis Grizzlies’ new Nike uniforms. Marc Gasol survived the Euro Championships in good shape.
That’s the good news, but there are still a few questions remaining.
Can Chandler Parsons overcome his repeated knee injuries? Can Tyreke Evans overcome his knee issues and finally be a significant force on a winning team? Will Ben McLemore shake off his troubles in Sacramento to become a rotation player?
Then there’s the situation with JaMychal Green. The Grizzlies made a qualifying offer back in June. JaMcyhal and his agent spent the summer trying to find a better offer. At this time, no better offer has been found. Despite this, Green and the Grizzlies should reach a deal before training camp.
This is very good news for the Memphis Grizzlies. JaMychal Green isn’t a major game-changer, but he’s a veteran who started 75 games last season with the team. It does mean the Grizzlies won’t lose three of their top five scorers from last season.
The JaMychal Green signing also means the Grizzlies will have 20 players in trading in camp, which is pretty normal for most NBA teams. Assuming JaMychal Green signs a new contract, the Grizzlies will have 17 players under contract, which doesn’t include Mario Chalmers — who many fans have pencilled in as the backup point guard.
The current collective bargaining agreement only allows for 15 players under contract.
Someone has to go. The leading candidates appear to be Brandan Wright, Jarell Martin, Andrew Harrison, Wade Baldwin and, of course, Mario Chalmers.
Chalmers, Harrison and Baldwin are fighting for two spots. Jarell Martin is on the third year of his rookie contract, but has yet to show a consistent offensive game nor the ability to remain healthy. Brandan Wright’s had health issues and is on the final season of his contract.
Next: Who will be Grizzlies' Most Improved Player?
Are the Grizzlies ready to make the hard cuts? Are they ready to move on from Zach Randolph and Tony Allen? Will they be prepared for a dark future?
Only time will tell.